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Tickled Pink

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brandon

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Is the pink ball and floodlit first-class cricket the future??

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Cricket will take another step towards a new era next week when Kent and Glamorgan stage their County Championship match under floodlights with the pink ball in the latest part of trials to see whether the format is viable for first-class and Test matches.


While reaction to the experiment has been mixed - and spectators could well end up huddled under blankets with a Thermos - Gary Keedy, the Lancashire spinner, who was part of the MCC match against Nottinghamshire in Abu Dhabi when the same format was used in March, believes the proposals have a future.


"The game in Abu Dhabi for me was a total success," Keedy told ESPNcricinfo. "I support the experiment and whether it works in this country only time will tell. I wouldn't want to play a competitive match until a few games had been played and everyone was happy with the outcome. I'm not saying Kent-Glamorgan won't be competitive but it will be the ideal time to try it out.

"My experience is that if you give it enough chances - and it will probably take more than one or two games to find out - that it can be a success. There is arguably a tough period at twilight where the transition from light to dark can be difficult, but we've all played under floodlights and we can all bat under floodlights, we are not strangers to that any more."


Although Keedy's primary role is with the ball he did have a chance to experience conditions with the bat in Abu Dhabi and didn't think they would be too tough to overcome. "I actually had a chance in the twilight period. It's like anything, once you adapt to conditions everything becomes easier. To start with you have to get used to picking the ball up, seeing the shadows and once you get through that it's just like batting as normal."


The Championship game at Canterbury is set to be played using a pink Tiflex ball - the manufacturer that has provided balls for Division Two - but in the longer term Keedy suggests that the Duke brand may be the best solution if a pink version can be produced because he has found that ball lasts longest. One of the main concerns about the coloured ball for first-class cricket is whether it will stay in decent condition for 80 overs.


"The white Kookaburra scuffs up quite quickly and can go from pink to brown, depending on the surface, but if they are prepared to change the ball that could be a solution," Keedy said. "I actually find it easier to bowl with a brand-new Kookaburra than I do a brand-new Dukes, whether it's the seam or lacquer I don't know. So, for me, a pink Kookaburra is certainly easier to bowl with but it's one of those things that we won't know until we try it."


Despite the floodlit experiment now arriving in county cricket the English game is probably the least likely market for the format in the future, partly because of the climate and also because international crowds - which is the ultimate reason for the idea of floodlit Tests - are still healthy in England.

"The one thing you'll get by playing in September is you know it will be dark whereas if you tried it earlier in the summer you'd barely need the floodlights so it would defeat the objective," Keedy said. "In the subcontinent it's dark at six so it works brilliantly. If you are playing mid-June in a floodlit game [in England] you could be playing at 9 o'clock and not need the lights."
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The last paragraph is a good point, it pretty much sums up my argument which is that in the longer-night months of June/July/August, you could probably quite easily play until 9pm in any case without floodlights, meaning you could use a red ball.

I've often said they could start at about 1pm and finish at 8pm if they want to improve crowds, that way people could come after work and get atleast 2 sessions in.

However on the other hand, I sometimes wonder why they wait until 11am to start when it is perfect light at 9am and could utilise a longer period - until 7pm for example - if rain/light interrupts play during the day.
 
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if they are trying it to get people watching they're having a laugh. its quite clear very few want to watch championship cricket anyway.

earlier starts are a thing i've thought about too. why start so late?
 
markc said:
if they are trying it to get people watching they're having a laugh. its quite clear very few want to watch championship cricket anyway.

earlier starts are a thing i've thought about too. why start so late?
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To try and get more people in after finishing work.
 
markc said:
if they are trying it to get people watching they're having a laugh. its quite clear very few want to watch championship cricket anyway.

earlier starts are a thing i've thought about too. why start so late?
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I love Championship cricket personally but I work full-time. I can only really speak from a personal note but I don't think the prices really endear anyone either - that's probably a point worth considering before any time changes. It is £15 on the day for ONE Day's play if you aren't a member. If you pay for all 4 days it is £60 and that is ridiculous. I know clubs probably do discounts for more days so its likely not to be that price but in theory it is harsh. I think a tenner is about right, albeit still a bit excessive. Perhaps clubs could also explore the idea of charging for a session too. For example if people can't make a full days play then it isn't worth going really.
 
brandon said:
I love Championship cricket personally but I work full-time. I can only really speak from a personal note but I don't think the prices really endear anyone either - that's probably a point worth considering before any time changes. It is £15 on the day for ONE Day's play if you aren't a member. If you pay for all 4 days it is £60 and that is ridiculous. I know clubs probably do discounts for more days so its likely not to be that price but in theory it is harsh. I think a tenner is about right, albeit still a bit excessive. Perhaps clubs could also explore the idea of charging for a session too. For example if people can't make a full days play then it isn't worth going really.
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i've never fancied going to see a championship game as i'd be willing to bet there will be very few peoplke there.
and i imagine the fact that the ground is in the middle of nowhere
 
another daft thing is that they use teh weekends for one day and t20 matches when they are played during the evening so people could get there after work anyway, why not play cc games on the weekend?

im sure there would be a negative effect on one day attendances but the positive effect on CC games may break even and eventually when people get used to it it may well increase attendances across the board
 
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